A Reel Fish Story
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB Zedd sets out to ruin the Rangers' day at the beach.
1. Beach And Monsters

A REEL FISH STORY

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

This is another ep that will be slightly revamped. Yes, I realize that there have been a lot of them so far, but I never personally liked the multiple monster thing and the angle with Dougie rescuing Bulk and Skull, come on! I mean, I get what they were trying to do, but how would he even lift Bulk into the inner tube without help from Skull who said he couldn't move because of a cramp in his leg? Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I'm not sure what kind of fish they had in Angel Grove, so I'm going to be making something up.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and kids were swimming and playing in the Angel Grove Lake. Rocky, who was wearing a dark yellow shirt and red shorts; walked by them.

"Remember guys, it gets really deep in the lake! So don't go off too far and you'll be fine!" he called. "Okay?" he checked with two kids, a boy and a girl.

"Okay," the girl said as he passed them. "Why don't you want to go out there? You're the best swimmer of anyone," she told the boy.

"I'm telling you: there are **monsters** in that lake and I'm staying right here where it's safe," the boy responded. _There's no way I'm letting them get me. I'd rather look like a wimp than get eaten_, he thought to himself. She sighed. _Not this again_, she thought. She wasn't sure where her friend had gotten the idea that there were monsters in the lake, but it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Dougie, you don't have to worry about monsters. Angel Grove is protected by the Power Rangers. They won't let anything happen," she told him. They walked off, not even noticing the two teens that overheard them.

"That gives me a brilliant idea, Skull," Bulk said.

"I love brilliant ideas," Skull commented. "Let me hear it."

"All right, listen up: the Power Rangers are supposed to protect all of Angel Grove, right?" Skull nodded. "So, **here** is what we do…" Skull listened eagerly as his friend outlined his plan. Meanwhile, Rocky was talking to Dougie.

"Are you sure you don't want to go in the water? I'll stand right here and look out for you," he assured him.

"And let those monsters get me? No way!" Dougie exclaimed. _Why won't everybody just leave it alone?_ he wondered.

"Dougie, I've come here my whole life, even when I was living in Stone Canyon, and I've **never** seen a monster out here," he told him. Which was true. He hadn't seen a monster out here yet.

"Look, I just don't want to do it, okay?" Dougie responded. _Sheesh! Take a hint_, he thought to himself. Frustrated, he walked off. Rocky watched him in concern, and then stood up, sighed, and walked back to his post. On the moon, Zedd grinned.

"So Gold Ranger, you've never encountered underwater monsters before? Well, I think I can fix that for you." His grin grew. "Yes! Yes! The tide is about to turn!" He laughed.

"May I suggest sending down a decoy monster before sending down the real one?" Goldar proposed.

"No, you may not! There is no need for a decoy!" Zedd bellowed. _Really? A decoy monster? How idiotic can he get?_ he fumed. He scanned the waters for something to turn into a monster. Meanwhile, Goldar walked away, muttering to himself. Inside his lab, Finster, a dog-faced creature absently sculpted as he let his mind wander back to when Rita had been in charge. He had been doing that a lot lately---reminiscing. He supposed that's what happened when you were no longer needed---you lived in the past. Hearing footsteps, he shook himself from his reverie and came to attention as Goldar walked.

"Goldar, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"I want you to recreate the Slippery Shark as a decoy for the Rangers," came the response.

"Is that what Zedd wants?" he questioned.

"Forget Zedd! He wouldn't know how to distract the Rangers if one offered to do it for him!" Goldar fumed. "I **never** should've betrayed Empress!" Finster's ears perked up. Had Goldar finally shaken off his blind loyalty to Zedd and come to his senses?

"Right, uh…the Slippery Shark. Right away. Should I add the fin's rivalry spell?"

"No, that's what will make it perfect! The bulk of the team will remember what happened last time and will tire themselves out so much by trying to avoid the fin that Zedd will have no problem crushing them!" With that, Finster rummaged through his clay molds, took what he needed, and began creating the monster. Meanwhile, Zedd had finally decided to make a monster out of an American tiger fish. He aimed his staff and fired.


	2. Beach Outing

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney.

Meanwhile, on the beach, Rocky walked around and looked out towards the water as Jason, Aisha, and Billy jogged up to him.

"Hey, Rocky," Jason greeted.

"Hey," Rocky acknowledged.

"How's volunteer life-guarding going?" Jason wondered.

"Great," Rocky answered. "I'm a little worried about Dougie, though. He won't go in the water," he continued.

"Why not?" Aisha wondered.

"Well, he's got this thing about **monsters** in the lake," Rocky answered and they all turned to the boy, who was gazing at the ground anxiously.

"Valid concern. We **have** fought sea monsters in the past," Jason responded in a low tone.

"Oh," Rocky said in surprise

"I know just how he feels. You know, there was a time when I wouldn't go swimming myself," Billy commented, bringing them back to the topic at hand.

"Hey, where's everybody else?" Rocky wondered.

"Tommy, Kim, and Zack went scuba diving, Trini's somewhere around here with Richie, and Adam's also here, but he's doing something with Justin and the others, but I'm not sure what," Billy responded.

"They said they all wanted to meet at the hotdog stand for lunch though…well, except for Trini and Richie," Aisha stated.

"Cool," Rocky said, and they all chuckled. Meanwhile, Tommy, Kimberly, and Zack swam through the lake. Seeing a fish, Kimberly pointed it out to the boys, earning a thumbs' up from Zack. Back on land, Trini and Richie were sitting in a secluded corner away from everyone else.

"I'm having a really good time, Richie. I'm glad you asked me out," she told him.

"Well, I'm glad you said yes," he responded. She ducked her head shyly. Back where Rocky was working, everyone was chattering happily. Then, someone noticed two fins sticking out of the water, and started screaming.

"Shark! Shark!" another person yelled and the cry was picked up. Hearing the yells, Rocky, Aisha, Jason, and Billy looked towards trouble.

"Uh-oh. Trouble," Rocky commented.

"I think we better check this out," Jason determined.

"I agree," Aisha said. They all hurried towards the water and Dougie stood up apprehensively. _I told them there were monsters in there!_ he thought to himself. How come no one had believed him? Grabbing a wave runner, Billy and Rocky headed for the water as Jason and Aisha herded people out of the water and then got their own wave runner and followed their friends. Dougie hurried up to the girl he had been talking to before.

"See, I told you there were monsters!" he told her. When the Rangers got there, they were surprised to see that it wasn't sharks at all, but Bulk and Skull. _I don't believe this!_ Aisha thought to herself. How could they be so irresponsible?

"Hey!" Bulk exclaimed. "Why do you dweebs always have to mess everything up?"

"Yeah, the Power Rangers would've been here any minute," Skull added.

"That's not funny, you guys. The lake isn't a place to be fooling around," Rocky scolded.

"Yeah, and you're lucky the Power Rangers **didn**'**t** catch you! They wouldn't appreciate being called into action if there aren't any monsters to deal with!" Aisha shouted.

"Aisha---" Bulk began to say. _Why is she so angry?_ he wondered.

"This was really stupid, Bulk! How could you be so irresponsible?" Aisha demanded. Bulk's head recoiled as if he had been slapped. _I've never seen her so angry_, he thought. What was up with that?

"Hey, calm down, girl," Jason murmured.

"Now you two stay out of trouble. I've got enough kids to look after," Rocky told them. Then, they drove off.

"I can't believe them," Aisha fumed. "What did I see in him?"

"Come on, girl. Everyone makes mistakes. Granted, this one took the cake, but if you really like him, why don't you give him another chance?" Jason advised. _I can't believe I'm defending Bulk to her_, he thought to himself.

"Hey Bulkie, can we get out here now? It's freezing in here," Skull said.

"Yeah, might as well. The Power Rangers aren't going to show up after this," Bulk responded. The two headed back for shore, unaware that Zedd's monster was tailing them from underwater. Dougie ran up the teens.

"What happened to the monsters?" he queried.

"There **were** no monsters, Dougie. They were just faking," Rocky answered, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well, all this excitement's made me work up an appetite. Come on, let's go to the hotdog stand," Billy stated. And they took off. Meanwhile, Tommy, Kimberly, and Zack swam through the water. Up on the moon, the Slippery Shark had been completed.

"Where are they? Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!" it cried. Goldar used his sword to transport the monster to Earth. With a cackle, it bounded across the lake.


	3. Under Attack

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. One thing I noticed in season one was that during Putty attacks, the Rangers would often slap five before fighting and this is my take on why.

In the Command Center, the monster alarm blared.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! There's a monster in the lake!" Alpha exclaimed.

"This is indeed serious, Alpha. Alert the Rangers at once," Zordon told him. Back at the lake, Rocky was doing a quick perusal of his surroundings when he noticed quick movement.

"What the---" he asked.

"Rocky, what is it?" Jason questioned.

"I thought I saw something over there," Rocky answered, pointing.

"Come on. Let's check it out," Jason said and the two hurried away. Suddenly, Putties appeared and surrounded them.

"Oh, man! Zedd's **definitely** up to something!" Jason exclaimed. They slapped five, allowing the power they emitted from their Dino Spirit to flow into one another and then went into action. A blue fin appeared in a Putty's hand and he reared back an arm to throw it. Jason's eyes widened.

"ROCKY, DROP!" At the cry, Rocky did as he was told and Jason back flipped out of the way. Rocky let out a leg sweep, knocking down a Putty and kicked it in the chest. Then, he jumped to his feet.

"Don't let the fin touch you!" Jason warned. _That's the last thing we need: to be placed under a rivalry spell again_, he thought to himself. In his palace, Zedd watched through narrow eyes.

"What is this? I didn't send down any Putties. And what is with that stupid fin?" he growled. "GOLDAR! GOLDAR! GET OUT HERE!" However, his henchman did not answer or come as was his usual custom. He growled angrily. He had specifically told Goldar that there was no need for a decoy. So, why had he disobeyed? Back in the Command Center, Jason and Rocky's predicament had shown up on the viewing globe.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! They need help!" Alpha cried.

"Contact the other Rangers and inform them of both situations," Zordon instructed. Back at the lake, Rocky and Jason were busy fighting off the Putties and trying to avoid the flying fin. Presently, Aisha and Billy became aware of the commotion. Sharing puzzled looks, they headed towards their friends.

"Whoa! What's going on?" she wondered. When they saw the Putties, they jumped into the fray.

"Look out for the fin!" Jason warned.

"Fin?" Aisha asked in confusion. A Putty reared back an arm, intending to throw something. Seeing this, Billy ducked, bringing Aisha with him. Then, they continued fighting. Meanwhile, in the lake, Tommy Kimberly and Zack were unaware that they had picked up a tail. The shark monster waited until Zack was alone, and then used its teeth to cut his face mask. Hearing their friend in distress, Kimberly and Tommy turned back. Seeing the monster, they both attacked it, knocking it back with a flurry of punches and kicks. The creature roared and quickly retreated. Without wasting any time, Tommy and Kimberly grabbed Zack and quickly headed back up. After breaking the surface, they pulled him to shore. Throughout all this, Zack coughed violently.

"Zordon, one of Zedd's goons just attacked Zack. It cut his face mask," she reported as the boy finally stopped hacking.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Is he all right?" Alpha exclaimed.

"I'm okay, Alpha. But I think you better warn the others," Zack rasped. Tommy pressed the 'talk' button on his communicator.

"Guys, do you read me?" he asked.

"Little busy here, Bro. We could use some help," they heard Jason say and they heard yelling in the background.

"We have to help them," Zack stated.

"What about the monster in the lake?" Kimberly asked.

"Kim, you go help the others. Zack and I will round up everybody else and take of things underwater," Tommy instructed.

"Right," Kimberly agreed and teleported out. Once there, she jumped into the fray.

"You gonna be okay?" Tommy questioned.

"Let's do this," Zack determined. They morphed and dived into the water. Meanwhile, Alpha sent out the summons from Zordon. Trini and Richie were throwing a Frisbee around when her communicator went off.

"What is it?" he asked, seeing her tense up.

"My alarm. There's---something I forgot to do," she answered.

"What? Now?" he asked as she walked up Richie's bag and put the Frisbee away. Hesitantly, he approached her. He could understand suddenly remembering something you were supposed to do, but why couldn't it wait? _Isn't she having a good time?_ he wondered. As if reading his thoughts, she turned to him.

"I'm having a great time. Believe me I would **not** be leaving unless it was really, **really** important," she told him, taking his hand. He sighed.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Thank you," she sighed and then took off. "I'm really sorry!" Richie watched until she disappeared from view. _Great? Now what do I do?_ he wondered. Once she was sure she was out of sight, she answered her communicator.

"There's monster in the lake! You must help Tommy and Zack!"

"Right," she said and morphed. Almost instantly, she was under water. Meanwhile, Adam, who was with Justin, Hilary, Zane, Tina, Chris, and Curtis, stopped when he heard his communicator.

"Guys, I'll meet at the hotdog stand later. There's something I gotta do," he stated.

"All right," they agreed and he jogged away. Once it was clear, he activated his communicator.

"This is Adam. Go ahead," he said.

"Adam, you must morph and join Tommy, Trini, and Zack in the lake!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Okay," the Silver Ranger agreed. _Fighting under water. That's new_, he thought to himself. He morphed and joined the other Rangers. On the other side of the lake, the others had their hands full with the Putties and trying to dodge the fin.

"Jase, we need help here," Aisha panted.

"I know," Jason answered in the same tone. He was knocked back into a Putty who grabbed him and along with another Putty held him tightly.

"JASON!" Kimberly, Aisha, Rocky, and Billy tried to get to him, but were also held back. Fin in hand, Putty reared back an arm.


	4. Fish Fight

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney.

Jason struggled against the Putties that held him. _No!_ he thought to himself. He couldn't let himself get placed under that spell again. Meanwhile, in the Command Center, Alpha and Zordon had been monitoring the fight and watching the Rangers wear themselves down as they tried to avoid getting hit; Alpha had taken it upon himself to run a diagnostic on the fin. The Putty released the weapon.

"Rangers, there is no spell on the fin!" they all heard Alpha report. _No spell?_ Jason thought. Summoning his strength, he broke free from the creatures and quickly caught it. Sure enough, instead of being zapped and knocked to the ground, nothing happened. A hard glint appeared in each of the Rangers' eyes and they all flipped so that when they landed, they were standing next to each other. They clasped hands and each Ranger felt a jolt of their power flow into each other. Once they were fully strengthened, they resumed fighting the Putties, who were soon destroyed. Then, he held out the fit with one hand and reared back an arm. Billy, Aisha, Rocky, and Kimberly did the same. Then, they pointed downward, and flexed, summoning their Ranger energies and focusing it on the fin, which then disintegrated.

"MY FIN! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" a voice shouted. The Slippery Shark lunged at them.

"It's morphin' time!" Jason shouted.

"Stega!" Aisha called.

"Brachio!" Rocky yelled.

"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly cried.

"Triceratops!" Billy summoned.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason finished. Once they were morphed, they brought out their weapons and attacked the monster. The Slippery Shark roared and punched them.

"I've had it with this guy!" the Purple Ranger complained. She summoned her Stega Whip and wrapped it around the monster, effectively trapping him, and giving the others a chance to combine their weapons and shoot an energy beam at him. The Slippery Shark moaned and fell to the ground with a blast.

"All right. That's **one** monster down," the Red Ranger declared. Then they teleported under water, where the rest of the Rangers were fighting the Tiger Shark monster. The monster lunged at the Rangers, knocked them all back with a powerful punch, and then made a beeline for the beach. The Red Ranger pointed furiously, indicating that they should all follow. The monster grinned evilly as it cut through the water. Through the slits that were its eyes, it noticed a little girl playing near the water and quickened its pace. She would make a wonderful shield. There was no way the Rangers would hurt him if there was a chance that they could hurt her too. When the monster was finally close enough, it grabbed her and began dragging her through the waves. She screamed.

"Steve! Steve!" Dougie shouted, but the man didn't hear him, so he chased after her. He reached for and---there was a roar! He froze. _Monster!_ he thought. Then, he shook his head. That didn't matter. He had to save his friend. Summoning his courage, he ran into the water.

"Don't worry, Melissa! I'm coming!" he told her.

"Dougie, help!" she shrieked. Hearing the cries, Bulk and Skull looked at each other and then hurried towards the sound. Dougie grabbed Melissa's hand and tugged. The monster held her by the waist and began dragging her back. Slowly, their hands began to separate until---three sets of stronger hands grabbed the girl and yanked her free from the monster! Bulk and Steve checked the kids with careful eyes. The monster roared and went for Dougie, but Skull quickly grabbed the boy, lifted him into the air, and he and Bulk hurried towards the beach.

"You two kids okay?" he questioned anxiously.

"Yes," they chorused. Melissa turned to her friend.

"Dougie, you saved me," she said happily. "Thank you," she continued, throwing her arms around him.

"You're a true hero, kid," Bulk told him.

"Thanks for your help, guys. I couldn't have done it without you," Dougie responded. The Rangers, who had seen the whole thing sighed in relief. _Way to go Bulk and Skull_, the Purple Ranger thought to herself. Then, she turned her attention back to the monster, who was heading for them. Making a quick decision, the White Ranger pulled Saba from his waist and jammed the sword through the creature's torso. It struggled to free itself, but to no avail as the Rangers all unsheathed their weapons and fired upon it, destroying the creature.

"NO! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! THE RANGERS BEAT ME AGAIN!" Zedd shouted. "GOLDAR! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Receiving no answer, he growled in fury and banged a fist on his throne. Meanwhile, in secret part of the Lunar palace, Goldar and Finster had just opened a transmission.

"What do **you** want?" the person sneered.

"Now, now. Let's not quarrel. After all, the three of us have the same goal," Finster said in a placating manner.

"Oh, yeah? And what's **that**?" the person wondered.

"We need your help in bringing Empress Rita back into power," Goldar stated.

"What do you have in mind?" the person questioned. Back on Earth, The now de-morphed Rangers ran up the beach to see everyone crowding around Dougie, Bulk, and Skull.

"Good work, you guys," Steve told them.

"What's going on?" Rocky wondered.

"Bulk, Skull, and Dougie saved Melissa from drowning," Steve answered.

"Dougie, **you** went into the water?" Rocky questioned, pretending to be surprised.

"Yeah. A monster tried to grab Melissa, but I wouldn't let him," Dougie stated proudly.

"He was **extremely** brave," Bulk added, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"Dougie, I'm really proud of you," Rocky told him.

"You're a real hero, you know that?" Trini chimed in.

"He sure is," Bulk proclaimed. "Come on, kid. I'll buy you a hotdog." With that, the three headed off, leaving the Rangers staring in surprise.

"Wow. I guess people really **can** change," Kimberly commented in surprise.

"Bulk sure has," Jason stated. The others nodded in agreement. Aisha let out a dreamy sigh, and stared at him, causing the others to shake their heads and laugh.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I realize that Bulk's slightly out of character in this chap, but I'm trying to show a progression of his character.


End file.
